Climate - Shetland (Scotland)

On the Shetland Islands, situated to the north of Scotland, the climate is oceanic, cold and wet most of the year. The wind blows frequently, and can be stormy especially in autumn and winter. Summer is very cool.
Here are the average temperatures in Lerwick, the main town.

Precipitation amounts to about 1,250 millimeters (49 inches) per year; the rains are frequent throughout the year, but especially from October to March, while there is a relative minimum in spring and summer.
Here is the average precipitation in Lerwick.

Winter is long and runs from mid-November to mid-April, and it is cold but not freezing: the average temperature is a few degrees above freezing (0 °C or 32 °F). Wind and humidity, however, together with the lack of sunshine, exacerbate the sensation of cold. Owing to the latitude, the days are very short from November to January. Snowfalls are quite frequent, though not abundant. Cold winds of polar origin blow quite often, but owing to the presence of the sea, the temperature does not drop by much, so there are often light frosts, but it rarely drops below -5 °C (23 °F). On the other hand, in periods when the mild westerlies blow, the temperature remains a few degrees above freezing, and can even reach 8/10 °C (46/50 °F), however, in these situations, the sky remains cloudy, and wind and rain are frequent. Intense Atlantic depressions, which often occur in this area, can bring gale-force winds, and cause sea storms.

The short spring, from mid-April to late May, is cold: the temperature remains low, and wintery periods are still possible, with snow showers, even in the first half of May. However, the days are long, the wind slows down a bit, and every so often, you can see the sun.

Summer, from June to August, is very cool, humid and rainy, and sometimes windy. The temperatures are similar to those of the Mediterranean coasts (Sicily, Cyprus etc.) in winter. When it goes well, daytime temperatures approach 20 °C (68 °F), which might not even happen for a whole summer. On the positive side, the days are very long, especially in June and the first half of July, when you can see the white nights (twilight at midnight). In addition, summer is the least windy season, even though some days with a strong wind are still possible.

Autumn, from September to mid-November, is cloudy, rainy and windy, and it gets progressively colder.



The amount of sunshine on the Shetlands is mediocre all year round: cloudy skies are the norm. However, the (relatively) sunniest period goes from April to August. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

The sea is obviously cold all year round: at most, the water temperature reaches 12 °C (54 °F) from July to September. Here are the average sea temperatures.

Best Time

The best time to visit the Shetlands is the summer, from June to August, since it is the mildest season. However, there are often cloudy skies, wind, rain and a bit of cold at night.
In June, it's a bit colder than in July and August, but the days are very long (19 hours, compared with 18 hours in July and 15 August). In September, the temperature is similar to that of June, but it rains more often and the days are shorter (it can be useful to remember that in September 23, the autumnal equinox, the day lasts 12 hours everywhere in the world).